THEATRE STAFF
Executive Director .......................................................................... Jason Goedken
Artistic Director ............................................................................ Whitney Morse
Associate Artistic Director ................................................................. Angel Creeks
Director of Operations ......................................................................... Jon Cronin
Director of People, Projects & Culture ...............................................Leslie Becker
Production Manager ....................................................................... Mike Giovinco
Booking Manager ................................................................................ Sierra Weiss
Senior Business Manager ................................................................... Sean Graham
Lighting Supervisor ......................................................................... Ally Southgate
Associate Lighting Supervisor .......................................................... Dio Raquel Jr.
Senior Production Coordinator ..............................................................Madi Carr
Audio Visual Director ........................................................................... Luke Bezio
Production Coordinator ................................................................ Nichole Pollack
Production Manager ...............................................................Mark Kirschenbaum
House Manager .................................................................................... Alec Speers
Assistant House Manager ........................................................... Savannah Wagner
Director of Ticketing & Customer Relations ............................... Yasmeen Stogden
Marketing Director ..................................................................... Monica Berdecio
Ad Sales ..................................................... marketing@significantproductions.org
The Sharon®L. Morse
PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Dear Patron of the Arts,
Welcome to The Sharon® L. Morse Performing Arts Center!
Much like the building’s namesake, my grandmother, Sharon L. Morse, we love all varieties of the performing arts here. It is in her memory that I, along with my amazing team of artists and arts administrators, strive to bring many different types of the highest quality entertainment here to The Sharon.
Since opening in 2015, we have strived to establish your trust, that a show at The Sharon is a show worth seeing. Perhaps you find yourself here today to see a concert of one of your favorite musicians, or to take in the national tour of a Broadway show. Either way, we encourage you to consider trying out a new show that perhaps you haven’t heard of before, knowing that it has been intentionally curated by our team.
We welcome you to The Sharon: a place for you to see an old favorite, but also a place to discover your new favorite. I sincerely hope you enjoy the show today, and I look forward to seeing you here again soon!
See You at The Sharon,
Whitney Morse
Artistic Director
ART.
ARTISTS.
AUDIENCE.
SIGNIFICANT PRODUCTIONS (SIGPRO) is a Non-Profit arts organization that operates The Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center (The Sharon) & The Studio Theatre Tierra del Sol (The Studio).
OUR MISSION; SigPro cultivates a diverse collaborative community with a focus on artists' well-being that strives to provoke thought and spark conversation through high quality performing arts.
OUR TEAM MEMBERS
We believe that fostering an inclusive and supportive workplace is essential for the creation of exceptional art. Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion extends to our employees. This ensures every individual who contributes to our productions feels valued and empowered. We actively promote a workplace culture that embraces differences and encourages collaboration among our diverse team of artists, technicians, administrators, and volunteers.
BIOGRAPHIES
DAVID COOK (and yes, the same David Cook who launched into stardom following his American Idol Season Seven win – breaking several Billboard chart records when 14 of his songs debuted on the Hot Digital Songs chart and 11 of his songs debuted on the Hot 100) certainly knows his way around a good song. His first album, Analog Heart, came out pre-Idol, and his last album, Digital Vein, nicely book-ended that chapter of Cook’s career, a chapter during which he sold more than 2 million albums (including his platinum-certified eponymous album) and, collectively, more than 5 million tracks (including two platinum-certified singles) worldwide.
David continues to find success, not only for himself, but also as a writer for other artists and touring throughout the world. 2018 brought an exciting new EP from Cook – Chromance. “I was a ‘rock’ guy, but the further away I’ve gotten from that, the more I’ve opened up and found inspiration in the peripherals. I wouldn’t have had the courage earlier in my career, but now I have the confidence to go after the sound I want.” A fan of both Massive Attack and Nine Inch Nails, Cook always admired how they pushed the envelope and brought pop elements into rock music. “I used them as a bedrock for Chromance and how I wanted the record to feel.”
If putting out his 2018 EP wasn’t enough to keep Cook busy, that same year, he headed to the Great White Way for his Broadway debut as Charlie Price in KINKY BOOTS. “I’ve had conversations about finding creative outlets outside of being a musician, but the timing was never right.” While Cook was excited about his first starring role, he was also aware the message behind KINKY BOOTS was timely and relevant. “I was honored to be part of the show and get to work with so many amazing people. I love the collaborative aspect of theatre too, the idea of being part of a creative team and working it out in front of an audience each night.”
Another passion of Cook’s is his work in behalf of organizations such as the National Brain Tumor Society, a Washington DC-based nonprofit that drives cutting-edge research and treatments for brain cancer and brain tumors. “I’ve been very involved with this cause and am very grateful that my career has allowed me to do that. I lost my brother Adam to a brain tumor in 2009; every year, I am part of the Race for Hope-DC and, together with my fans, have raised over $1.5 million for brain cancer and brain tumor research through this and other fundraising projects. Far and away, that is the proudest of all my achievements.”
Cook is well aware of and grateful for the breaks American Idol has brought his
way and for the opportunities he continues to have. He has no plans to slow it down. “I love creative endeavors. I like starting with nothing and then finishing with something that didn’t exist before. That’s my favorite thing about creating new music. I love being able to put something artistic out in the world for people to enjoy.”
In 2020, David released two new singles. The first, Reds Turn Blue, is a nod to the manic highs (reds) and lows (blues) of anxiety, something David has struggled to overcome since his season seven win on American Idol. As David told People. com: “This song became a therapeutic process for me, as a way to personify my anxiety and make it something other than me — which, in an odd way, has helped me navigate my relationship with it.” To capture that struggle, David worked with artist Justin A. Nixon to create a visual that was “sci-fi and sinister” but left open-ended to represent “that constant battle between anxiety and myself.” And the second, Strange World, is “my homage to this year,” said David. “Staring out of windows at the world outside, feeling disconnected from it, and trying to find those moments that would normally exist outside, inside.” Both singles, along with the driving Fire, are from his EP The Looking Glass, released in April 2021.
In April 2022, David released his latest single, TABOS (This’ll All Be Over Soon). The single’s release coincided with his return to the American Idol® stage to perform for their special 20th-anniversary reunion show.
In July 2024, David released his latest single, Dead Weight, co-written with longtime collaborator, Andy Skib, to coincide with his summer tour.
MADDIE POPPE Iowa native Maddie Poppe rose to stardom after winning Season 16 of American Idol. In summer 2018, Maddie’s debut album Whirlwind released. By Fall, the record hit #2 on the charts. Whirlwind features four radio singles, including two top-25s – “Made You Miss” and “Not Losing You”.
The year of 2019 saw Maddie win a People’s Choice Award, guest-star on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Live With Kelly & Ryan, & Good Morning America, and tour in support Ingrid Michaelson. As direct support for Ingrid’s tour with Live Nation, Maddie performed in over 25 cities.
During the height of the pandemic, Maddie released a holiday EP titled Christmas From Home. Once the live music industry returned, in Fall of 2021, Maddie hit
the road for her first headline tour. Visiting nearly 40 cities with her live band, Maddie played to energetic crowds and received raved reviews.
Over the last year, Maddie has been constantly creating, both lyrically and musically. She is joined by an all-star team of songwriters and producers, including Adam Sickler, Willie Morrison, Fraser Churchill, and David Spencer.
Unlike tracks selected for Maddie on her debut record, each new song on Maddie’s newest work is rich in her own voice. “I’m very proud of Whirlwind, but I feel like this new project speaks truer to me and my story,” she says. “When you’re just starting out like I was then, it can feel like 100 different people are trying to tell your story. Now, I’m finally telling it in my own voice.”
Maddie’s single “Screw You A Little Bit” released on March 31, 2023. The followup - “Good Enough To Let You Go” - released on May 8, 2023. The track is seeing significant streaming numbers on Spotify. In June 2023, Maddie teamed-up with singer/songwriter Joshua Radin on the duet “Neverland”.
“I’m thrilled to release new music, but even more excited to play these songs live,” Maddie says. “Almost everything I’m writing is upbeat and will be so much fun to perform with the energy of a live audience. For a long time, I simply thought of myself as the singer-songwriter, hometown girl from Iowa. Along the way, I have learned to spread my wings and branch out. I truly feel I’ve become the artist I was meant to be.”
As for live shows, Maddie spent all of July and August on her headline “Summer 23 Tour”. The tour kicked off in Maddie’s home state of Iowa on July 6. Since then, Maddie and her band have hit the Midwest; Northeast; and West Coast, ending on August 25 in Phoenix.
In Fall 2023, Maddie supported both Joshua Radin and Nick Carter of Backstreet Boys on separate tours.
This year, Maddie has focused on her creativity, writing and recording new music. In late Fall 2024, she will embark on her Tis The Season holiday tour throughout the Midwest and Southeast US.
TRENT HARMON Harmon was born in Amory, Mississippi, the second cousin of actor Richard Harmon. He started in music when his mother taught him to sing “Amazing Grace” when he was the age of five, and he grew up singing in church. His family owns a farm and a yard-totable restaurant, Longhorn, where he was a waiter. He credits his upbringing on the farm and in the restaurant for his strong work ethic.
He sang and performed through many musicals while attending Amory High School and, later, the University of Arkansas at Monticello where he also led on-campus worship services as an undergraduate. He first learned to play the piano but expanded to also play drums and guitar.
Harmon first tried for national recognition in May 2014 when a close friend convinced him to try out for NBC’s The Voice in New Orleans. After singing “Stay with Me” by Sam Smith for the casting director he was one of 300 open audition contestants chosen to compete further from a field of 32,000. The show then flew him to compete in Los Angeles where he sang “Jealous” by Nick Jonas. Months later in October 2014 he was again flown to Los Angeles for several weeks with his family to be filmed for the show although ultimately no judge chose him and his audition did not air. Harmon later stated that the rejection prepared him for his ‘Idol’ phase of his career.
Harmon auditioned for American Idol in August 2015, surprising the judges, after hearing of his farm upbringing, singing the rhythm and blues song “Unaware” by Allen Stone. He was the first RnB singer shown to be accepted by the judges in the season. It was revealed later in the season that Harmon kept a leather-bound journal where he wrote down every comment and criticism the judges offered.
Harmon won the fifteenth season of American Idol on April 7, 2016. His winning coronation single “Falling” was written by singer songwriter and American Idol judge Keith Urban with Dallas Davidson and Brett James. For winning the title, Harmon received a Ford car and a recording contract with Big Machine Records.
